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UNITED STATES OF A'MERICA 



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New York: 



1873. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, by G;?orge L. Cati.iNj in the j'ear 1873, 
in the Office ol the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



*» 



HAVE CONSTANTLY ON HAND 

.A. Greneral A^ar-iet.y of 




1 1 



7 

LiDtels, Stess, Briflsiiig-Roci, &c., k. 

ALSO, 

FINE-AXED SILLS, LINTELS AND WATER-TABLE, 

And a general assortment of Stone of all dimensions. 

General Offices^ - . - - MitUllefoirn^ N, T. 
General Receivhig Yardf - Wesibroohvif/e, N, Y, 
Branch lieceiving Yard^ - Jil/envil/e, N, Y, 

Branch lieceivint/ Yard, - Qutn'ryville, N, «/. 
General Transfer and Shix>P*no Yard, 
Saniinittville, N. Y, 

«^° Blue Stone Delivered at all Points on the Montclair R. B» 

The principal Quarries are located at and around Westbrookville, on the Del. 
and Hudson ('anal, aid at Sandburgh, and between Deckertown and Unionville, 
on the N. Y. and Oswego Midland K. K., from which Quarries are developed 
Stone superior to any yet offered in the market by com))eting dealers. It will 
readily be seen that the Company have unequalled facilities for shipping Stone 
both by Rail and Water to all parts of the United States. 

For further information regarding prices, &c., communicate with 

]WLici<ileto>vii, 3N. "Y. 

J. P. KILGOUR, General Manager, - Widdletown, N. Y. 
J. S. FREER, President - - . Ellenville, N. Y. 

W. J. GROO, Sec. and Treas., - - Middletown, N. Y. 



//. <^ / '-^ 



V 



HOMES S MONTCLAIR 

EAILWAY, 

FOR 

NEW YORK BUSINESS MEN. 



A DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY ADJACENT TO THB 



Jersey City and Greenwood Lake. 

Together with a Statement of the Inducements offeeed con- 
jointly BY the Company, and by Real Estate and Propeett 

OWNTEES along THE LiNE TO PERMANENT AND TRANSIENT 

Residents from the Metropolis. 



BY 



*' Find me a bower in silent dells embayed, 

And trebli/ guarded from each wind that blotos; 
Where the blue noon o'erronfs the tranquil shade, 

And poppies breathe an odor of repose; 
Where never noises from the distant trorld 
Diuturb the happy calm of soul and sense." 

Bayard Taylor. 



New York : <? 

IPviblished. by the ZSIontclair Railway Coinprvny. 

1873- 



INTRODUCTION, 



Next to the construction of the railroad itself, nothing con- 
duces so largely to the rapid and healthful development of a 
newly-opened section of country as a systematic effort to fa- 
miliarize the pubHc mind with the advantages, whether man- 
ufacturing, agricultural, or as a region for residences, which 
it offers ; and it will invariably be found upon observation, 
other things being equal, that wherever energy and capital 
have combined to keep constantly before the public, in an 
attractive form, the claims of different suburban localities, 
there has been a steady progress, and a growth almost mag- 
ical. Convinced of this fact, the publishers adopt this 
method of bringing into general notice the claims of the pic- 
turesque and fertile region, which the recent completion of 
the Montclair Railway has opened to direct communication 
with the Metropolis ; and the candid reader, if he be bur- 
dened with the cares and struggles incident to the mainten- 
ance of a home and family in the crowded city, will find 
herein facts worthy of his careful and prompt consideration, 
and which, it may be, will open to him a new vista of pros- 
perity and happiness for his future. 

G. L. C. 



^\-^^ 
C.'^^ 



br^C-- 




HERE ! " said Scruggs, one 
afternoon. " There ! what's 
to be done now?" 

Scruggs was seated on a 

high stool at a desk, in an 

office down on Broad Street. 

He had been sitting there from nine to 

^^^^five o'clock every day, save Sundays 

^"and holidays, for the last eight years. 

^And now Scruggs was twenty -seven 

years old, and liis salary was eighteen 

hMudred a year. 



4 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 

" There !" he repeated, *' just what I've expected." And 
he took up a newly opened letter that was lying on the desk 
before him, and read it over again, to be sure he had not 
been mistaken. No, there was no mistake about it. It said . 

New York, February 28th, 1873. 
Mr. ScRANTON Scruggs, 

Dear Sir : 

This is to inform you that after the first of May next, 

the rent of the house No. Seventy-first Street, now occupied by you, will 

be raised from nine hundred to twelve hundred dollars per annum. 

Yours truly, 

TERENCE DONOHUE. 

And this was the intelligence which had elicited from the 
young man on the tripod the despairing soliliquy, — " What's 
to be done now ? " 

Well, what was he to do ? Even with a rent of nine hun- 
dred dollars to pay, he had found housekeeping a burden to 
him. His family — there were only three of them to be sure — 
had to be housed and fed, clothed and shod. Now and then 
there came a bill from the doctor, and there were quite a 
number of little unforeseen expenses, which, small in them- 
selves, aggregated a considerable amount in the course of 
the year. Scruggs had just managed to pull through th^ 
year 1872 without getting into debt. He had foregone a 
good many Httle luxuries and comforts, and so had his wife ; 
and even then, at the end of the year they found they had 
but fifty dollars balance to commence the new year on. 
Poor Scruggs ! That letter of Mr. Donohue's — who, by the 
way, had done some work on the new Court House during 
the previous year or two, and was talked of as Alderman in 
his ward, — was as a thunderbolt in the domestic camp of 
the Scruggs', and plainly necessitated a removal somewhere. 

But where ? No further up town, certainly. There were 
some houses to be got in Harlem at pretty reasonable rates, 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 5 

and convenient houses at that ; but Scruggs calculated that 
it would cost him at least an hour more e . ery day to live up 
there, while it already required between two and three hours 
to go to and from his house on Seventy-first Street — so Har- 
lem was out of the question. Then he might board some- 
where, and give up housekeeping altogether. But that would 
be out of the frying pan into the fire. He would be subjected 
to the tyranny of some one or another of the various types 
of landlady, who would dictate his diet, gossip about his wife, 
and perhaps embitter his leisure moments at home, with tear- 
ful reminiscences of her dear departed husband — " one of 
the best of men, Mr. Scruggs, only, he would drink liquor." 
And then, viewed in a pecuniary light, boarding-house life — 
even if roseate in its other surroundings — promised him no 
chance of laying aside any money from his income. He had 
once thought of hiring a floor — or a " flat," as it is called — 

over on Fiftieth Street and th Avenue. But there 

was no privacy about that ! people tramping up and down 
stairs continually — the wrong people getting your letters and 
newspapers — half a dozen families crowded under one roof — 
"No sir !" said Scruggs. ''My own house, all to myself, or 
none at all." 

So there v\'as only one other course left open — to move to 
the country — to find a home in one of the quiet, pre'.ty 
villages or towns which encircle Manhattan in a beauteous 
coronet. But Scruggs knew but little more about these 
places than an Esquimaux does of sunny Italy. He had 
once taken a trip to Niagara Falls — his wedding-trip — had 
visited Staten Island, Long Branch and Fort Lee on as 
many different holidays in past summers, but when you 
came to talk of Newark, Paterson, Montclair, or Pompton 
to Scruggs, he remembered them only as places he had seen 



6 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 

occasionally mentioned in the morning papers under the 
head of ''Suburban News." But, as luck would have it, 
just as Scruggs was revolving in his mind this idea of going 
out into the country to find himself a home, the door opened, 
and in came Mr. Coupon, one of the firm, and with him 
another gentleman whom Scruggs remembered as a bR)ker, 
doing business a little further up the street. They were 
talking about the value of Montclair Bonds as an invest- 
ment. " Why," said the gentleman, " that Montclair road, 
inside of two years, is going to be one of the great trunk 
lines between New York and the West. You've no idea of 
the magnificent scheme its projectors have in contemplation. 
There's a demand for more through lines ; every year sees a 
wonderful increase in the freight and passenger traffic be- 
tween the sea-board and the Mississippi Valley, and, mark 
my words, there's no better investment in the market than 
that which anticipates the enormous demand of a few 
years hence for facilities in this direction. By-the-way, I 
live out on the road myself — at Montclair. I bought a place 
there for nine thousand dollars three years ago, and now I 
wouldn't take twenty for it. The railroad has increased its 
value at least a hundred per cent. And then, see how con- 
venient it is — only three-quarters of an hour's ride from 
Cortlandt or Desbrosses Streets. The ferry-boats are spa- 
cious, and run regularly ; the cars are positively superb. 
We read our papers and smoke our cigars when we come in 
in the morning ; we chat comfortably with our friends going 
home in the evenings, and consume less time in going to and 
fro than I used to spend in the horse-cars when I lived up- 
town. And then, you've no idea how the place is growing. 
Why, sir^ there are homes enough, and good ones, out there 
for all the young married men in New York, did they but 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 7 

see the advantage of coming over there, and exchanging 
their high-priced houses in the crowded, unhealthy city for 
the clear, pure air and peaceful dwelling-places of the sub- 
urbs. But," and the speaker glanced at his watch, " I must 
be going, Coupon, to get that three-thirty train. We have 
a Httle family reunion dinner to-day at half-past four, and I 
wouldn't miss it. Good day. Don't forget about those 
bonds the first thing in the morning." 

Scruggs had listened intently to all this, and his mind was 
made up. Defiance to Donohue, and a Home on the Mont- 
clair was the form his conclusions had taken. So he pres- 
ently asked Mr. Coupon if he had any objections to his 
taking a holiday some day next week. Mr. Coupon didn't 
see anything at present to prevent it. So that evening, Mr. 
Scruggs, after he had got home, had his supper, and put on 
his slippers, read to his wife the letter of the honored Ter- 
ence, acquainted her with his conclusions in regard to it, 
and proposed a trip together over the Montclair Railway for 
some day during the coming week. So now, reader, you 
have a full and authentic explanation of the circumstances 
which brought Mr. and Mrs. Scruggs at nine o'clock, one 
fine morning, to the foot of Desbrosses Street (they might 
have taken the Cortlandt Street Ferry had they preferred it), 
and resulted in the purchase of two excursion tickets from 
New York to Greenwood Lake and return. 

It is a delightful ride at any season of the year, even in 
winter. But in the green and budding spring-time, when 
nature, throwing off her frosty cerements, dons her robes of 
verdure and attunes her strains to those which the season 
awakens in the heart of man, few journeys for so short a 
distance around the Metropolis develop so many scenes 
of romantic and picturesque beauty. An ever-changing 



8 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 

panorama of city and forest, meadow and crag, river and 
glade, greets the eye, and nestling here and there amid the 
smiling landscapes may be descried villages and hamlets, 
half hidden among the foliage, and each marking with its 
snowy church-towers and chimneys, the home of a prosper- 
ous, Christian community. 

So, if Mr. and Mrs. Scruggs will permit the writer to ac- 
company them, he will probably be able to point out to 
them, as they pass over the road, many little points of inter- 
est which might otherwise escape their notice. There are, 
also, some matters of a historical nature connected with 
various points along the line, which will prove entertaining, 
perhaps. There is a good deal in having a good guide, 
whether you are visiting Rome or St. Petersburg, or making 
a little one-day trip over the Montclair Railway. Here ! 
these are our cars, and we've no time to lose. All aboard, 
and off we go ! off through the busy thoroughfares of Jersey 
City, through Bergen Cut, where no noisy, dingy tunnel de- 
lays or endangers our progress towards the open country be- 
yond, past that busy scene of industry, the United States 
Watch Company's Works at Marion,' past the shady lanes 
and cosy villas of West End to the junction overlooking the 
vast stretch of meadowland beyond. What a glorious view 
here presents itself — a sea of verdure, bounded on the west 
by a ridge dotted with villages, and terminating in the great 
pile of edifices which marks where the princely city of New- 
ark has arisen within a little over two score years ; here and 
there a wooded knoll rising, island-Hke, against the sky; the 
Hackensack River winding in a thread of silver through the 
green ; near at hand a "network of railroads diverging in all 
directions, and far away, just visible in the distance, the 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 9 

blue hills which mark where the beautiful Passaic finds its 
way seaward. 

But while we are contemplating this inviting scene, the 
locomotive whistle announces that we are off again, and in 
a moment or two we have passed over a substantial trestle- 
work spanning the track of the Morris & Essex road, and 
are brought by an easily descending grade to the level mea- 
dow beyond. Away now we speed over the landscape. To 
the north, may be seen, marked out by occasional passing 
trains successively the Delaware, Lackawana & Western, 
the Erie, the Midland, and the Northern Railroads — to the 
south, the Pennsylvania, the Newark & New York, and the 
New Jersey Central in the distance. What a network of 
iron and steel these arid meadows have come to be. And 
of all the roads traversing them our own is the shortest and 
most direct to the hilly country beyond. For mark how 
quickly we shall reach it, Now we cross Pen Horn Creek, 
where a draw bridge permits the passage of vessels to the 
great oil works, a short distance above ; next, we come in 
sight of the twin hills, large and small Snake Hill, which 
rocky, yet verdure clad, rise abruptly from the plain ; skiriing 
the southern edge of the larger hill, and gaining glimpses here 
and there of precipitous slopes, and great piles of boulders 
strangely contrasting in wildness with the cultivated scenery 
we have so recently left behind, we reach the Hackensack, 
and can trace its silvery waters as they wind through the 
green, far away in either direction ; now on again with re- 
doubled speed, we cross the Belleville turnpike, and note by 
its side the great water pipe through which Jersey City re- 
ceives its daily supply of Passaic River water from the works 
at Belleville ; now, the grade ascends and we leave the mea- 
dows ; before us is the fertile cultivated ridge which forms 



lO HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 

their western limit ; a ridge already dotted with cottages and 
villas, and destined in a very few years to become as thickly 
inhabited as Bergen Heights ; here we pass through a heavy 
earth cutting, dash under a bridge, over which passes the old 
Pollifly turnpike, connecting Newark with the Hackensack 
region, and in another moment behold us at the depot at 

ARLINGTON, 

(6 miles ; 30 m n. 15 trains each way daily.) 

To the locality immediately adjoining the depot at Arling- 
ton, the recent coming of the railroad, with its direct communi- 
cation to and from the metropolis, has imparted an unwonted 
activity and hfe. For the reader will bear in mind that this 
fertile ridge upon which we are now standing, and from the 
summit of which, sloping down gently to the level of the 
meadows on the one hand, and picturesquely to the Passaic 
on the other, we obtain such a glorious and wide spread view 
of the surrounding country, is the first terra-firma available to 
New Yorkers for surburban residences after they have passed 
the portals of the Bergen Tunnel or Bergen Cut. It is the 
same fertile, healthful upland on which have already sprung 
up, on the line of other and older roads, flourishing and rapidly 
growing villages, chiefly populated by New York business 
men. 

In comparing this locality with others equi-distant from 
the City Hall, let us take a map, and with the dividers strike 
a circle eight miles distant. We are at once surprised to see 
how small a portion of the area touched by this line can 
ever be made available for residence. Commencing at Har- 
lem, near 140th Street (which, being a populous part of New 
York City, may be omitted from our consideration), let us 
pass easterly and southerly on the circle, and we find that a 



H. H. LLOYD & CO., 



\\.t^ tp 



Maps Drawn, Engraved and Mounted to order. 
RAILROAD MAPS PREPARED. 

A large assortment of Local and United States always on hand. 
Call and. See IVIap of 

"1200 SQUARE MILES AROUND NEW YORK CITY." 

21 JOHN STREET, NEW YORK. 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAm. 




HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 



ARLINGTON LAND COMPANY 

ARLINGTON, N J. 
Office, 218 Fulton St,, N. Y. 

This is the most desirable location in the vicinity of New- 
York for rural residences. 

For full description of its advantages, see page lo 

Blakiston, Hoffman & Williamson 

REAL ESTATE AGENTS 

For Purchase, Sale and Exchange of 



■J 



AT AUCTION OR PRIVATE SALE. 



Special inducements and easy terms offered in 
BUILDING LOTS AT ARLINGTON. 
[[See advertisement above.] 

OFFICES -^ ^'^ Fulton St., IN. Y 
"' and«Arlington,:N. J 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. II 

comparatively narrow ridge on Long Island, east of Williams- 
burgh, is the only locality at all elevated. South of this lie 
the lowlands of East New York, Canarsie and Gravesend ; 
thence westerly the circle strikes Staten Island, Newark Bay, 
Newark Meadows, ArUngton, Hackensack Meadows, Pali- 
sades, and across Hudson River to the point of beginning. 
Thus, in a circle having a circumference of 48 miles, we find 
not more than one-third the extent capable of being used 
for residences. 

The localities which can be made available are Long Island 
Ridge, Staten Island, Arlington and the Palisades. The high- 
est portions of these respective localities do not differ much 
in elevation, say 125 feet to 150 feet in height. Let us now 
take a trip from the City Hall to each of these places. To 
reach Long Island at or near Newtown, we can cross to 
Brooklyn, thence by horse cars to Bedford, and reach our 
destination in about two hours, or, for a change, can cross 
to Hunter's Point, and thence by steam in little less time. 
To reach Staten Island we can sail down the Bay, and hav- 
ing landed, can go inland on foot or otherwise, reaching our 
destination in from one and a half to two hours. If we have 
a house on the Palisades, we can go up the Island by horse 
car to 85th Street, and cross Weehawken Ferry, and walk 
inland as far as we please, or we can go by Pavonia Ferry 
and the Northern Road, and walk two miles from the Station 
to our Palisade home, occupying two hours time. To reach 
Arlington we cross from Cortlandt or Desbrosses Street, and 
in ten minutes are seated in luxurious cars, which, in fifteen 
minutes more we leave, and step out into the cool shades 
and rural retreats of Arlington, two miles nearer than the 
City of Newark, and occupying an elevation which com- 
mands a perfect view of all the surrounding country. This 



12 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 

delightful section, hitherto inaccessible, is now brought to 
near proximity by the Montclair Division of the Midland 
Railway. 

Here is the site of a great future city, and those who secure 
homesteads now will be rewarded by a rapid increase in the 
value of their property. The old fogies who are usually 
found opposing improvements in country places, have already 
been swept away, leaving a clear field for the progressive 
army of occupation. We can say with truth, that no locality 
within the same distance from the City Hall, presents to the 
man of salary or of moderate means so many and so great 
advantages as are offered here at Arlington. But is it 
healthful ? That is just the question that the writer 
of this asked one of the natives whom he found liv- 
ing there. He was a rugged looking man, of sixty odd 
years. " Well," says he, " I reckon I don't look sick — 
if I do, my looks are deceitful, for no doctor ever darkens 
my doors. There is my wife in the garden, she has always 
lived here — does she look sick ? " I looked and behold — an 
amazon, who could lift a barrel of cider into a cart. " There 
is my father just over the fence — what do you think of him ?" 
I looked, and the old man was moving around as lively as a 
cricket. '' He has always lived on that place, and is now 105 
years old." His name was John Van Emburgh, and he has 
since died at the age of 107, as all the inhabitants there can 
testify. No argument is needed to supplement such facts. 

Property owners at this point, in anticipation of the com- 
ing demand for Homes on the Montclair, have already made 
improvements upon a scale indicating a determination to 
render it a favorite home for New Yorkers. Every reason- 
able encouragement will be offered to actual settlers in the 
way of low prices and easy terms by the " Rural Homestead 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 13 








OFFER FOE SALE 



BUILDING LOTS 



IN 



ARLINGTON, 

A lew Eods Norlli from tlie Monlclair Railway Station. 



5@* These Lots are nearer New York City than any land 
west of Bergen Hill, being 

Six Miles from Jersey City Ferry, 

and adjoining the first station on the Montclair Division of 
the New York Midland Railway. 

Address 

J. H. PRATT, President, 



No. 25 Nassan St., New YorL 



.14 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 

Company," (advertisement of which company will be noted 
by the reader herewith). 

Grand Avenue, eighty feet wide, extending southward a 
distance of one and a half miles from the railroad to the 
Stone Bridge at East Newark, has been laid out, graded, 
planted with shade trees, and is now adorned with several 
handsome residences. Kearny Avenue, another street of the 
same width, and destined to extend from East Newark to 
Rutherford Park, six miles north, is also opened through the 
property, as are also a number of other fine highways inter- 
secting at right angles, and dividing the land into convenient 
and desirable sites, each commanding a view of superb 
scenery. To the Eastward, or from almost any point upon 
this hillside, on a fair day, one can follow with his eye the 
line of the Palisades till it loses itself in the haze to the 
northward; can trace the silvery line of the Hackensack 
winding through the intervening meadows ; see every hour 
a score of whizzing trains gliding serpent-Hke in distant 
silence across the plain, and to the southward scan the 
gleaming waters of New York Bay, and the misty heights of 
Staten Island beyond. Nor is the view alone the claim upon 
which this lovely spot bases its desirableness as a home. In 
point of convenience it offers too its attractions, the churches, 
schools and stores of both Belleville and Newark being within 
easy distance ; and these too are soon to be brought nearer 
by the proposed establishment on Kearny Avenue of a line 
of horse cars to Newark. 

Land can be purchased at Arlington in lots at prices vary- 
ing from $250 to $500, while it sells at $2500 or $3000 by 
the acre. 

Leaving this attractive spot; we hurry on toward the sum- 
mit of the ridge, where our attention is attracted by the first 



HOMES ON THE iMONTCLAlR, 1 5 

great engineering work encountered in the construction of 
the road. For, in order to reach the Passaic Valley beyond, 
it became necessary to open a long deep cutting through the 
hill, and through this great gap with its jagged walls, re- 
echoing with a deafening rattle the clatter of the wheels, our 
way now lies. If the passenger in riding through the Kearny 
Cut (for such is the name by which it is known), will take a 
glance from the rear window or platform, he will perhaps 
gain a better and more comprehensive idea of the enormous 
amount of work necessary to complete this great passage way 
from valley to valley ; this new link between the Hackensack 
and Passaic regions. The rock-ribbed battlements towering 
up eighty feet high on either side, until they almost exclude 
the sunlight, seem to look down menacingly upon the ^en- 
croachments which man's handiwork has wrought, to break 
in upon their ages of undisturbed repose, and our train, 
winding its rapid way between them, loses for the nonce its 
wonted suggestion of grandeur and force, and assumes in the 
depths of this lonely chasm an air of unmistakable insignifi- 
cance. But ere this thought has fairly presented itself to 
the traveler, the sides of the cut grow rapidly lower, the 
trees that line their verge come once more into view, and 
the Engineer whistles " down brakes " for 

KEARNY, OR Passaic Bridge, 

{6)4 miles, 33 min.; 15 trains each way daily,) 

deriving its first mentioned name from the township, which 
in turn derives its name from the time honored Kearny 
family, whose name is inseparably and honorably linked with 
the militaryand naval history of New Jersey, and to whom 
formerly belonged a large tract in this immediate vicinity. 
The residence of the late Gen. Philip Kearny, a stately 



1 6 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 

Structure, evincing, in the elegance of its appointments and 
surroundings, the cultivated taste of its former distinguished 
inmate, stands upon the Passaic River bank, about two miles 
to the south, and the Kearny homestead, once occupied by 
the General's uncle, Robert Watts Kearny, Esq., is still 
pointed out on the other side of the river. 

If the prospect a moment ago in the cut was gloomy and 
oppressive, how gloriously in contrast with it is the magnifi- 
cent spectacle which now breaks upon the vision. For our 
roadway emerging from the bowels of the hillside, leads us 
past a dense grove of cedars, which line the river, and in 
another instant carries us upon the bridge which here spans 
the Passaic at a height of forty-five feet. If one were sud- 
denly shot out into mid-air over the river from its precipitous 
bank, the eff"ect could hardly be more instantaneous and 
startling; while the variety and beauty of the picture so 
quickly presented on all sides, inevitably elicits a regret that 
the train cannot come to a stand still for a few moments at 
a point so commanding. For, glancing from the car window, 
one gains a birds eye view of the river, up and down stream, 
and of a landscape as thoroughly cultivated probably as any 
to be found in this wide world. Looking north, or from the 
right hand side of the car, we discern on the east bank the 
great brick chimneys of the Belleville Water Works, (whence 
Jersey City is supplied), and of the Belleville Laundry, re- 
cently quite famous as the spot where the question of Chinese 
labor has been satisfactorily solved. On the west bank the 
eye rests upon the charming town of Belleville, nestling amid 
a dense growth of foliage, with here and there a spire or 
chimney peering through skyward. Then, if we turn and 
glance down the stream, a scene of equal beauty awaits us, 
the east bank lined with beautiful villas ; the west dotted 



HOMES ON THE MONICLAIR. 17 

with the dwellings, and shops and factories which, gradually 
growing more numerous, as the eye follows them southward, 
terminate in the grand pile of brick, and stone and mortar, 
and the forest of masts which mark the adjacent City of 

NEWARK (WooDsiDE),' 

(7 miles, 33 minutes ; 15 trains each way daily.) 

For speedily rega'ning terra fir/iia, we pass over the river 
road to Belleville, the Paterson and Newark Railroad, the 
Belleville Plorse Car Line, all of them spanned by substantial 
bridges, and then once more come to a stand still. 

Here, then, behold us arrived at a city of an hundred and 
thirty thousand inhabitants, and that too within a brief 
ride from New York. The frequent tinkle of the horse car 
bell, the wide well graded streets, the long line of gas lamps, 
and the occasional policeman, all tell us that we are no longer 
in the country, but in an extensive and well regulated city^ 
which year by year is spreading out its hands and redeeming 
from solitude fields and woodlands, once deemed inaccessible 
and remote."^ It was but two years ago that the beauiifut 
village of VVoodside, forming that portion of Newark through 
which our line passes, was incorporated into the city limits, 
but since that time its growth has been magical. On the 
numerous streets and avenues that have been opened there 
have sprung up rows of attractive residences, many of them 
of brick and stone, and all of them in the finished modern 
styles of architecture. Washington Avenue, one of the great 
Boulevards, which a far seeing system of public improvement 
has projected, from the heart of the city to its remotest 

* Some interesting facts concern ng the growth of Newark will be found pub- 
lished in Appendix A. 



1 8 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 

suburbs, trav^erses this section of Newark, and crossing the 
city boundary line at Second River about three hundred 
yards north of our track, continues en thence through Belle- 
ville to the line of the adjoining county of Passaic. This 
great artery of travel is to be macadamized during the present 
year. 

A ride of twenty minutes in the horse cars brings one 
from the Newark Depot of the Montclair Railway to the 
business center of the city. The cars run at intervals of fif- 
teen or twenty minutes. Frequent communication is thus 
afforded to those desiring to do shopping, marketing, or 
theatre-going; but in the matter of the purchase of the 
necessaries of daily life, the resident of this section will find 
ample accommodation in the numerous stores in his imme- 
diate vicinity.* Another fact well worthy of mention with 
regard to the ^yoodside section, is that while possessing the 
advantage of being within the police, fire and mail district, 
it contains not a single rum shop, or nuisance of any descrip- 
tion within its borders. Those residing here enjoy too, un- 
usually good educational and religious facifities. In Wood- 
side alone there are Episcopal, Dutch Reformed and Presby- 
terian churches, a good public school and several private 
schools ; while in Belleville, not over ten minutes walk dis- 
tant are to be found also Episcopal, Dutch Reformed, Method- 
ist and Roman Catholic churches, and sirailiar facilities for 
instruction of the young. In fact, Belleville, connected by 
horse cars and by intimate business relations with Newark, 
though nominally divided from it, is virtually a continuation 
of that city, and will probably at no distant day be incorpor- 
ated with it. 

*See advertisements of F. Tomkins and J. P. Bradley elsewliere. 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 1 9 

FOR SALEatWOODSIDE 

A Tract of Eighteen Acres ! 

iA^>'joi!iif!£^ Mo fclni; /^ai/ii'av Depot.') 

-A^vailciljlo for Dwelliniis and. INI an vi factories. 

This propert}^ has a frontage of about 500 feet on tlie Passaic 
River, is interseoted by the Patersoii and Newark Railroad, is with- 
in the city limits of Newark, and is mapped out in streets 
and squares on the official map of the city* Its facilities for 
railway and water transportsition render it especially valuable for 
manufacturing purposes, Avhile it also includes many desirable 
building sites. To be sold as an undivided whole. 

ALSO, 

BELLEVILLE LOTS & BUILDING SITES! 

Improved property for s;ile, graded, curbed and flagged, within 
three minutes walk of the Depot. Gas and water facilities cer- 
tain within a few months. No more convenient or desirable loca- 
tion for a •' Home ou Ihe Montclair." Address 

S. V. C. VAN RENSSELAER, 

744: Broad Street, JSrtvark. 

The attentive reader will not therefore have failed to ])er- 
ceive tliat as an available place for the selection of a subur- 
ban residence, the Woodside section of Newark in its ])rox- 
imity to, and frequent connection with New York, and its 
intrinsic attractions, offers claims well worthy of the intending 
purchaser's careful consideration. And it may be remarked, 
too, that there will be found oiTered for sale near this point, 
some very desirable property, available either lor dwellings or 
manufacturing purposes. Adjoining the Depot is a fine tract 
of eighteen acres, mapped out into streets on the city map, 
having a river frontage of five hundred feet, intersected by 
the Paterson and Newark Railroad, and possessing therefore 
great facilities for transportation by manufacturers as well as 
convenience and beauty of location for those who build there 
their homes. This tract, together with a number of improved 



20 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 

lots at Belleville, (within 800 feet of the depot), and on streets 
already graded, curbed and flagged, and through which both 
water and gas pipes will be laid within a few months, will be 
found advertised for the reader's information herewith. 

Within the city limits at Woodside, single lots are, owing 
to the demand for property, already scarce in the market. 
Those that are offered, arc quoted at $1000 for a space of 
25x100 feet, and $2500 for a space of 50x150. The adver- 
tisement of Mr. John W. Joralemon, published below, calls 
the reader's attention to some very desirable property which 
he offers for sale. His office which was est?^blished four 
years ago at this point, will be found to be the Real Estate 
Headquarters for this vicinity. 

LOTS, PLOTS & VILLA SITES 

-AT— 

Cottages and Country Seats S2,000 to $100,000. 

^P"My Tlegister contains a complete list of all Real Estate oflFered in Wood ride 
^^T" Plans and specifications furnished and 

JBuildimgs Erected, to order, 

* JOISN W. JORACE^SOIV, 

"^Vashington Aveniae, (near £$epot«) 

Before resuming our journey, let us pause for a moment 
to note the scene presented on the north or right hand side 
of the track, as we tarry here at the Depot. The antiquated 
but comfortable looking residence, with its numerous out 
houses which stands a little in front, and to the right of us is 
the property of the Bird family, wealthy and old residents of 
this vicinity. Yonder among the trees which line the bank 
of Second River, are the ruins of an extensive hat factory, 
destroyed by fire a few years ago, and shortly, it is said, to be 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLATR. 21 

rebuilt and put in operation. Upon the knoll overlooking 
house, river and ruin, stands the Belleville Roman Catholic 
church, a neat and shapely structure, and about it cluster 
numerous dwellings us evidence of the growth and progress 
which of lale years has been swee})ing over all these New 
Jersey hillsides. 

But now we are off again, and in another moment Newark 
is behind us. 

We are now traversing the summit of the western ridge of 
the Passaic Valley, a wide plateau upon which are visible in 
many newly opened streets and numerous dwellings, abun- 
dant indications of its proximity to the advancing city. Now, 
we see on our left the cutting through which diverges the 
Branch to the populous town of Orange, and a short distance 
beyond we come suddenly upon a heavy grove of cedars, 
fringing at its western limit the abrupt gorges through which 
the Second River finds its way. Along our entire route we 
shall perhaps find no more romantic bit of scenery than this. 
The high, almost perpendicular banks of the chasm covered 
with moss and verdure, and shaded into a twilight darkness 
by the overhanging evergreens ; the black, deep waters 
flowing between ; the glimpse, down the stream, of smooth 
shaven lawns, and luxuriant foliage, and here and there a 
dwelling half concealed amid the green ; the view up the 
stream, of successive piles of brick walls and chimneys, 
whence comes the unceasing whir and rumble of machinery, 
all combine to make up a picture, which truthfully portrayed 
on canvas, would charm the connoisseur. 

But while the scene still Hngers in the retina, we stop 
again, and this time, at the depot at 



22 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 



HENDRICKS BROTHERS, 



PROPRIKTORS OF THE 




RoUiii Mills, 



MA NUFA CTURERS OF 



BRAZIERS' BOLTS AND SHEATHING COPPER, 



IMPORTERS AND DEALERS IN 



Ingot Copper, Block Tin, Lead, spelter. Antimony, Copper Rivets,Wire, & Tinners' solder. 
No. 49 CLIFF STREET. 

Between Beekman and Fult on Sis., W £ W YORK. 



MONTGOMERY, 

(8 miles ; 36inin. 15 trains each way daily.) 

where land advantageously situated, can still be bought in 
large tracts at low prices. The natural beauty of location 
combines with a high dry soil and a beautiful atmosphere to 
induce the seeker for a " Home on the Montclair," to give 
their united claims a careful consideration before searching 
farther. Montgomery, in addition to her railroad faciUties, 
enjoys frequent and rapid communication with Newark by 
the Bloomfield line of horse cars. Nor should her business 
life and industries be overlooked, for visible from the car 
window is a little city of brick walls and chimneys with scores 
of cottages about them, which make up the works known 



HOMES ON THE MONTCI.AIR. 23 

since time immemorial as the Belleville Copper Rolling 
Mills, one of the first of the kind established in the United 
States. For in the year 1813, owing to the blockade upon 
our ports by British cruisers, and the consequent discontinu- 
ance of importations of manufactured copper, as well as the 
large amount of raw material in the country at that time 
offered at less than cost of production, the occasion was 
deemed a favorable one for the establishment of an enter- 
prise of this kind. How successful it has been, and how 
great its growth, may be inferred from the simple statement, 
that while five hundred pounds of finished copper was then 
considered a good day's work, the capacity of the mills is now 
ten times as great, w^iile it is further a source of national 
pride and gratification that, by enlarged machinery and im- 
proved processes of refining, the enterprising proprietors, 
Messrs. Hendricks Bros., have so far reduced the cost as to 
be able to compete successfully with the markets of the old 
world. Here in this busy hive of industry are produced the 
largest and heaviest sheets of copper in the world, measuring 
ten and a half feet in diameter, weighing nearly a ton, and 
yet coming as smoothly and easily direct from the roller as a 
sheet of paper from a printing press. To such perfection 
has the art of copper rolling been carried by the Messrs. 
Hendricks. 

From Montgomery, our course still lying a little north of 
westward, soon brings us in view of the spires and chimneys 
of 

BLOOMFIELD, 

(9 miles; 39 m;n. 15 trains each way daily.) 

And first crossing the Morris Canal, which traverses this, the 
eastern end of the village, we find ourselves once more at a 



24 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 

Standstill in a good old-fashioned New Jersey tov/n, the his- 
tory of which is identified with the history of the State, and 
which, though now feeling the inevitable impulse of modern 
improvement, yet contains many quaint and interesting land- 
marks and relics of the olden time. The substantial stone 
church, distinctly visible to the southwest of the depot, was 
erected in 1796, and in other more remote portions of the 
village may still be seen by the lover of antiquities many 
curious old dwellings, telling unmistakably their stories of a 
century ago. 

Bloomfield was originally settled by a part of the colony 
of New Englanders, which founded Newark. During the 
Revolution, its people were subject to frequent depredations 
by bands of marauders and freebooters from the British 
posts, and especially from the garrisons at Bergen Heights, 
opposite to New York. Some noble acts of daring are nar- 
rated in illustration of the patriotic spirit which animated the 
people of Bloomfield to repel these invasions, one of which 
will be found recorded in another part of this work. (See 
Appendix B). 

Of late years Bloomfield has enjoyed an annually increas- 
ing popularity as a place of residence for New Yorkers, 
especially during the summer season. But now, with its ex- 
tended railway facilities, with horse-car communication with 
Newark, and with frequent trains to and from the Metropolis 
passing through both the upper and lower portions of the 
town, it assumes an attractiveness as a place where people 
doing business in New York may conveniently reside all the 
year round. Its population is about eight thousand, and its 
manufacturing industries are numerous and productive ; its 
streets ard avenues are wide, straight, shaded and well kept; 
its sidewalks are generally planked or flagged ; its public 



HOMF.S ON iHK MONTCLAIR. 25 

square, or " military common," as it was once called, forms 
an attractive place for recreation and strolls, and its public 
enterprises are conducted upon a scale of liberality most 
creditable to its people. There are here seven churches, 
('three Presbyterian, one Episcopal, one Roman Catholic, one 
Baptist and one Methodist) a German Theological Seminary, 
a well conducted paper. The Bloornjield Record^ published 
by Messrs. McDivitt & Hulin, a Free Reading Room, several 
public Halls, Masonic, Odd Fellows and O. U. A. M. Lodges, 
three Public Schools, (one high school and two primaries), 
one or two Select Schools, and for the accommodation of the 
transient visitor an excellent Hotel, (Archdeacon's) and flor- 
ists' greenhouses, which will be found advertised elsewhere. 
The handsome brick School House, standing near the old 
Presbyterian Church, previously mentioned, was erected at a 
cost of thirty thousand dollars, and is a model of architectural 
beauty. 

During the present summer it is expected that gas will be 
introduced into the village, thus offering another inducement 
to those contemplating removal hither. Ti^ere are many 
valuable and eligible building sites within easy distance of 
the depot at this point, and the adjacent country abounds in 
lovely drives and rambles. The rates at which lots can be 
purchased vary of course according to location, but it may 
however be stated that good lots can be had at from $700 to 
$1,000, and villa sites at $2,000 and $2,500 per acre. De- 
finite information regarding particular localities can be ob- 
tained by addressing Mr. Horace Pierson, whose advertise- 
ment will be found on the next page. 

Leaving the Bloomfield depot, we pass in full view of the 
old church and new school house, in which are so plainly con- 
trasted the ancient and the modern, cross by a high embank- 



26 HOMES ON IHE MONiCi-AIR. 

Real Estate aiid liisii ranee Agent. 

Office adjoining Archdeacon's Hotei,, (within 10 minutes walk of Montclair 
Railway Depot, BL.OOMFIELD, New Jersey. 

Residences, Building Lots and Farms to cut up into Villa Plots tor Speculative 
Purposes for sale on money making and accommodating terms. 

ment and bridges the turnpike road, connecting the upper 
and lower extremeties of the village, and leading thence 
to the country beyond ; and then, by an ascending grade, 
traverse the ridge overlooking Bloomfield from the west. On 
the left^ the eye rests in passing upon a beautifully laid out 
cemetery, its avenues bordered with dense well trimmed 
hedges of box, and shaded by a wealth of evergreens. From 
this point, too, one looking back gains a^pleasing view of the 
village which he has just left. Upon this ridge is located the 
depot called 

CHESTNUT HILL, 

(lo miles ; 41 mi 1. 15 trains each way daily.) 

which is in reaUty another depot for the accommodation of 
that portion of the peoi)le of Bloomfield who have already 
availed themselves of the advantages of the immediate vicin- 
ity as a place of residence. This ridge is admirably adapted 
for villas where commanding views and picturesque surround- 
ings are required to perfect the ideal of landscape gardening. 
We next reach 

MONTCLAIR, 

(For distance, time and trains see, further on ) 

the thriving and beautiful town which gives our railway its 
name. And the arriving traveler, viewing for the first tim.e 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 27 

the Stately churches and the substantial brick bui'dings, 
which adorn the village center, or glancing further off at 
the numerous clusters of elegant private residences which 
grace its outer Umits, at once perceives that he has reached a 
place of no ordinary enterprise and attractiveness. If he 
continue his observations still further, and, alighting from the 
train, devote an hour or two to a stroll through the town, he 
will be more than ever convinced that his first impressions 
were correct. He will find good sidewalks upon every street ; 
stores at which can be purchased all the necessities of daily 
life at New York prices ; churches representing the Episcopal, 
Congregational, Presbyterian, Methodist, Unitarian and 
Roman Catholic denominations, one of them, the Congrega- 
tional church, having been recently completed at a cost of 
$75,000 ; a graded public school (including a High school in 
which youths are fitted for college or business), employing 
eight teachers, with an average attendance of nearly four 
hundred pupils, and occupying a brick school house which 
cost $25,000 ; a Young Ladies' Seminary for boarding and 
day scholars, and a Kindergarten ; a free Library and Read- 
ing Room conducted under the auspices of the Young Men's 
Christian Association ; a fine PubUc Hall, available for lec- 
tures, concerts and theatrical entertainments ; and many use- 
ful industries, prominent among which may be mentioned the 
Steam Saw and Planing Mill of Taylor Bros. & Co., which 
is advertised herewith. 

This much the visitor will find that the hand of man has 
done to render Montclair a place of growing attractiveness 
and importance. But, Nature, he will find, has done fully as 
much or even more. For, situated on the gently sloping moun- 
tain side, which affords both a genial shelter and an admirable 



2 8 HOMES ON THE MONTCI.AIR. 

TAYLOR BROS. & CO., 

STEAM SAW AND PLANING MILL, 

And Doalsrs in all kinds of 

BUILDn^a MATEPvIAL. GAOL, KINDLIHG WOOD. etc. 

year Delntvave, Iiachaucanna & Western It. li. Depot, Montclair, N. J. 

Wakken S. Taylor, William M. Taylor, Thomas McGowan. 

natural drainage, and surrounded by an undulating land- 
scape, in which no swamp land exists to give forth its un- 
healtliful miasmas, Montclair may justly claim, in its natural 
advantages, an inferiority to no suburban town or village 
about New York. It is said to be the only place within 
fifteen miles of that city that is absolutely free from fever 
and ague, while the wonderful salubrity of the atmosphere 
completely eradicates the disease from the system of any 
new comer who may have been previously afflicted with it. 

Many people with bronchial or lung diseases, have been 
restored to health by a residence here. The annual visita- 
tions of dysentery or typhoid, common elsewheie, have 
never prevailed here, an<3 there is so little use for a ceme- 
tery, that the people have just voted to dispense with the 
ground which was appropriated for that purpose by the first 
settlers of 1660, and herea'ter to patronize the more populous 
cemetery of a neighboring town. 

So much for the subject of health. But in picturesque 
beauty of surroundings too, Montclair challenges our admira- 
tion. Let the visitor who would appreciate this fact, ascend 
to the summit of Washington Rock, and take his stand in 
the summer house which crowns its topmost crag. Below 
him I'es spread out the village with its closely built center, 
and its villa lined avenues, stretching out antennae-like in all 
directions. Beyond are Bloomfield and Newark ; further still 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 2g 

the heights of Bergen, and in the background, standing out 
clear and distinct against the sky, the spires and chimneys of 
the Metropolis. From this rock the great General whose 
name it bears, watched our enemies while they occupied New 
York City and Harbor. Their ships could be seen witli the 
naked eye, and their flag descried by the telescope. Turning 
westward the observer looks down upon the fertile Verona 
Valley, beyond which lies the village of Caldwell. Almost di- 
rectly under his feet, a distance of nearly an hundred feet down 
in the rock and clay, passes the tunnel, which in its completion 
is to open connection between the two valleys, and alford a 
passage way for our Morristown Branch, which here diverges 
froin the main line, and the embankment of which may already 
be seen extending up to the mountain's base. 

The early history of Montclair is indentical with that of its 
sister town of Bloomfield, for, prior to 1868, Montclair was a 
portion of Bloomfield township. But with the infusion of 
progressive ideas, there came a proposition that the former 
be set off as a separate township, a proposition which was in 

New York's Most Attractive Suburb. 



Samuel W. Tubes, 



NEW YORK OPPIOE, - - No. 71 BEOADWAY, 

ROOM 78. 



30 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAH^. 

tlie year specified confirmed by Legislative enactment. Since 
that time the growth and popularity of Montciair as a place of 
residence for New York businessmen, have been assured. The 
population has already increased to 3500, and property which 
a few years ago sold for merely nominal prices, is now valu- 
able and in frequent demand. Some beautiful avenues, 
among which may be mentioned Bloomfield, Mountain, Ful- 
lerton and Orange Avenues, Park Street and Valley Road are 
opened or improved, thus rendering available many desirable 
building sites. Upon such avenues, land can be bought at 
prices varying from $500 to $1,000 per lot (50x100), or from 
$2000 to $4000 per acre. 

There are four depots in Montciair, the first of which is 

Walnut Street Station. — (11 miles, 45 minutes; 15 
trains each way daily.) — At this point a spacious and beau- 
tiful iron depot, a turn-table and wind-mill (which supplies a 
water-tank) have been erected, and here too diverges the 
branch to Morristown just m.entioned. This station is nearest 
the business center, and the more closely built portion of the 
town, 

Passing northward toward the base of the mountain, with 
a fine rolling farm land on our right, and the mountain 
slope, here and there diversified by meadow land and 
dwellings, on our left, we suddenly find ourselves at the second 
depot, 

Watchung Station (12 miles, 48 minutes; X5 trains each 
way daily), where our attention is attracted by another 
handsome depot, constructed entirely of iron. The dis- 
covery of this shapely structure gives the alighting traveler 
gratifying assurance that there exists about it a population 



32 HOMES ON THE MONiCLA.k. 

who appreciate the benefits and conveniences of a railroad, 
bringing new Hfe and prosperity to tlieir very doors. 

There are some charming bits of scenery about Watchung 
depot, looking both north and south. The attractions offered 
by the neighborhood as a place of residence are generally the 
same as at Walnut Street, with the difference only of three 
minutes additional ride. 

Still running northward and on an ascending grade, we 
come next to the third depot, 

Cliffside Station. — (13 miles, 52 minutes; 15 (rains each 
way daily), the point at which our railway touches the base 
of the mountain, and one consequently which is especially 
worthy the attention of those who may desire to secure 
homes upon the mountain side, and yet be within a -few 
minutes walk of the casr. 

The natural advantages of the locality had, previous to the 
coming of the railroad, induced the settlement here of quite 
a number of famihes, and the opening of a school, and 
have more recently been greatly enhanced by the estabHsh- 
ment of a general store, and the opening of an avenue to 
connect with the Newark and Pompton turnpikes, or Bloom- 
field Avenue, on the other side of the mountain. In the 
opposite direction, Bellevue Avenue atfords direct communi- 
cation with Stone House Plains, less than a mile distant, 
where can be discerned the spire of a substantial brown 
stone church. Nor is this vicinity devoid of historic tra- 
ditions. It was here that General Lafayette was encamped, 
and one, looking from the car window, may see on the edge 
of the woods, on the left of the road, an old house^ 
many of the stones in the foundation of which were pre- 
viously used in the floor of the General's tent. 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 33 

Here at Cliffside, as indeed elsewhere in Montclair, one 
investing in land can hardly go amiss ; the salubrity of the 
atmosphere, the healthfulness of the surroundings, the beauty 
of the scenery, and the faciHties for communication — all 
combine to render a large advance upon present prices almost 
a certainty. 

Passing hence northward along the base of the mountain, 
we reach the fourth and last Montclair depot. 

Mountain Ave. Station. — (14 miles, 56 min. ; 15 trains 
each way daily), which the Company has selected as the 
starting point for its local trains, and where will be erected 
a turn table and a round house, in which the iron horses 
which pull these trains will be stabled over night, ready for 
their trips to town in the morning. 

Residents at Mountain Avenue are thus able to t^ke their 
train at its starting point, an advantage which those who 
have lived at the terminus of a line of railway will appre- 
ciate. 

Here, as at Cliffside, one may avoid the expense of car- 
riage and horses, and yet live upon the mountain side. For 
though there has been but little apparent ascent, we are now 
actually some two or three hundred feet above the level of 
the Walnut Street station, which we left a few moments ago. 
Indeed, after a walk of three minutes from the depot, the 
visitor is surprised to find that unconscious of ascent, he has 
reached an elevation, from which, to the south, he may see the 
Narrows, whitened with the sails of countless vessels ; to the 
north, the Fishkill mountains, blue in the distance, and be- 
neath him an intervening country, dotted with wide spread 
towns and villages. 



34 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 

The visitor, on alighting at this highly picturesque point, will 
find that unusual attractions have been offered to purchasers 
by some of the more enterprising adjacent property owners. 
Within a stone's throw of the depot, are numerous available 
building situations of rare attractiveness, for persons of both 
large and moderate means, while a short distance beyond^ 
and rendered accessible by the newly-opened Beauvais Av- 
enue, commencing at the Valley road, on the east of the 
First mountain, and extending to the west of it, near the 
residence of Mr. C. N. Bovee, (whose advertisement see), 
and opening some of the grandest views in the vicinity of 
New York, are many villa sites, equally unsurpassed in at- 
tractiveness, and accessibiUty to New York business men. 

iMt%^ ^^near "The Glove," or "Mountain Ave." Station,Montclair township, for sale 
Advantages — Few minutes walk to Depot ; distance to New York 15 miles ; yearly com- 
mutation less than 12 cents each way ; admirably adapted for division into places of resi- 
dence for New York Business Men ; partly divided into half acres or 200 by 200 ft. lots, 
the rest divisible into 1, 2, 3^4, 5. or more acres: scenery singularly varied and striking, 
views similar to those from Eagle Rock, Llewellyn Park, with level approaches to them ; 
very attractive drives near and over the properties ; road lines nearly two miles in length ; 
half-mile of finest natui*al Trout Brook near New York, known as Pearl Brook ; good and 
plenty of water ; perfect drainage ; abundance of Freestone, easily got out, suitable for 
Duilding ; beautiful chestnut, hickory and cedar grove ; 600 apple, pear and plum trees, 
young and of choice varieties ; the best fruit and farm garden between Paterson and 
Newark ; healthfulness unsurpassed ; large improvements in immediate vicinity by en- 
terprising capitalists who have lately bought a number of farms : various and fine resi- 
dences soon to be built near part of the properties— 73 acres — a little to west of First 
Mountain on the very handsome ridge dividing Verona Valley, and commanding one of 
the most magnificent i)rospects in New Jersey ; the rest a little to the east of Firsli 
Mountain, and overlooking New York, the Narrows, Ac. Owner, C. N. BOVEE, Cedar 
Grove, near premises; office of Bovee & Richakds, Counsellors, 52 Wall St., N. Y. 

Appreciating the lovely scenery, the healthful surround- 
ings, the facilities for communication with the city, and the 
certainty of a rapid development of the adjacent region, fol- 
lowing the completion of the new railroad, quite a number 
of professional and business gentlemen from the Metropolis, 
(among whom may be mentioned, Hon. S. L. Woodford, 
Wm. H. Arnoux, Esq., and Drs. T. C. Brainerd and Daniel 
Ayres), have already secured handsome properties for Summer 
retreats, in and near this most charming of rural localities. 



HOMES ON THE MONJ CI AIR. 



THE STONE CRUSHER. 

Four miles from Montclair, up the " Clove," which is a 
north and south canon in the First Mountain, and just where 
the ''Great Notch" cuts it at right angles, are located the 
works of "The Telford Pavement Co." They have four 
steam-driven "stone crushers" in operation, and here is 
their source of supply for the material used in macadamizing 
Bloomfield Avenue— a fine four mile Boulevard, stretching 
from the " Mountain Top" at Montclair, to the city of New- 
ark. Trap rock is hauled from their quarry in the imme- 
diate neighborhood, broken to the required grades, and 
screened directly into the cars of the Montclair Railway by 
their ingeniously arranged machinery. They have a daily 
furnishing capacity of about three hundred (300) tons of 
broken trap, giving employment to a large number of men 
and teams. 

The Company's operations are of manifold benefit to this 
section of the country, by utilizing the hitherto useless rock 
of this mountain range in constructing the finest macadam 
roads to be found on this continent. 

Mr Danl. Brennan, Jr., the President of the Company, 
was the first to introduce this excellent system of road 
making in this State a few years since, and through the tire- 
less efforts of himself and his associates in the Company, 
it has continued to develop and extend until it has become 
the popular road of the counties adjoining New York City. 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 



THE TELFORD PAVEMENT CO 



INCORPORATED 1872. 



DANIEL BRENNAN, Jr. 
GEO. SPOTTISWOODE, 



Pres't & Sup't. 
Secy. £ Treas. 



PRIHGIPAL OFFICE, ORANGE, II J. 

The Telford Pavement Co., have quarries and stone cutting machines 

AT GREAT NOTCH ON THE MONTCLAIR RAILWAY, 

AT CENTERVILLE, ON THE MORRIS CANAL, 
AT FIRST OR ORANGE MOUNTAIN, 

AT ORANGE AND SOUTH ORANGE, N. J., and 
AT PLAINFIELD, UiVION CO., N. J. 
They have made miles of their road for the cities of Newark, Orange, Plain- 
field and Bayonne, the towns ot East and West Orange, and for the Essex 
County Road Board. 

Their roads are invariably constructed in a FIRST-CLASS MANNER, 
upon a foundation of large trap stone and successive layers of crushed rock, 
rolled with a steam roller. 

Eleven steam engines, three steam road-rollers and eight stone ciushers, are 
constantly in operation, enabling the Company to do an unlimited amount of 
work in the counties of Essex, Passaic, Union and Hudson. 




HOMES ON IHE MONTCLAIR. 




PROPERTY OF EAST JERSEY LAND CO. CEDAR GROVE. 



CEDAR GROVE. 
i6 miles ; i hour. 6 trains. 

South of Little Falls we have Cedar Grove, one of the most choice 
localities within an hour of the great city. Beautifully sloping from the 
banks of Peckham river to the tops of several mountains, its wide 
avenues and rectangular squares, give assurance of present and increas- 
ing attractions, as its fine villa sites find occupants. The look-out over 
the valley of the river to the spires of Paterson in the distance, gives a 
pleasing picture of unequaled variety. The soil is well adapted to 
gardens, lawns, and ornamental shrubbery. Abundance of excellent 
water exists for wells — where the living streams flowing between the two 
moimtains, will give at a future day an ample supply for hydrants, if 
required. The location is misurpassed for health. The land above 
plotted is owned by the East Jersey Land Co., Office, 38 Montgomery 
St., Jersey City, where apply. 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 35 

Our next stopping place is 

GREAT NOTCH or Ridge Road. 

(15 miles ; i hour. 15 trains each way daily.) 

We are now in the great mountain passage known as " the 
Notch," the only point within a range of eleven miles at 
which, without tunneling, the engineer could carry his road- 
way over to the Peckman River Valley, which bounds the 
mountain's western slope. During the Revolutionary days 
Washington regarded this wild defile as an important point, 
and close at hand are dug up to this day, relics which mark 
the camp ground of the riflemen whom he stationed here as 
advanced posts to give notice of the approach of predatory 
parties of the enemy. The scenery of the Notch is extremely 

"HOI^ES ON THE IIONTCLAIH" 

— AT — 

GREAT NOTCH, 

FAMOUS AS A 

ROMANTIC AND PICTURESQUE MOUNTAIN RESORT, 

And this season, for the first time, open to railroad connection with 
the Metropolis. 



OR ANY PANTITY FROM ONE TO ONE HOPRED ACRES, 

FOR SALE AT 

JMIoderate ^Prices &, IJasy Terms of I»aymeTit. 

I St Tract — 1 00 ACRES and upwards, situated only ]4 mile northfof Mountain 
Avenue station, and }i mile south of Great Notch station, or Ridge Road. 
2cl Tract— 31 ACRES, situated ^ mile west of Great Notch station. — 

IW All the above property commands a magnificent view of the surround- 
ing country. For fuller description see pages 36 and 37. 

Fjor farther information, address 

EDWARD FRANCISCO, 

JAttle I'alls, New Jertey. 



3"6 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 

rugged and picturesque ; nor any the less so when viewed 
from the car platform, as one moment we whirl through a 
deep cutting ; next whiz around a long curve, describing 
more than a semi-circle ; then suddenly shoot over a great 
trestle work bridging a chasm, and from the summit of which 
we catch a long vista of forest and hillside — then through 
another rock ribbed cut, and around another curve, until, no 
matter how sensitive or well trained maybe the travelers 
bump of direction, he will probably be obliged to confess that 
he has lost the points of the compass for just this once. 

The advertisement of Edward Francisco, Esq., one of the 
largest land owners in Passaic County, will be found on 
page 35, and calls the attention of the prospective purchaser 
of a '^ Home on the Montclair," to some choice and attrac- 
tive sites at this point, which he places upon the market for 
the coming season. The visitor can either alight at Mountain 
Avenue, and by a ride of half a mile reach a portion (or the 
first tract), of this property, or can go on to the station at 
Great Notch or Ridge Road, and thence by a walk or drive 
of only a quarter of a mile, reach the same spot, comprising 
a tract of upwards of one- hundred acres, every foot of which 
is eligible for residences. A quarter of a mile west of the 
latter depot, on the slope overlooking the lovely Passaic Val- 
ley, he can reach, too, another tract of thirty-one acres, con- 
taining numerous desirable building sites. The view ob- 
tained from almost any point on this property is superb. 

A bill has been introduced into the Legislature making the Directors ot 
the Board of Freeholders of Passaic, Bergen and Hudson Counties, Com- 
missioners with full power and authority to lay out and construct a public road 
from the " Notch " to Weehawken, via the Paterson Plank Road near Secau- 
cus, and passi ig over the Passaic River at Rutherford Park, which will give a 
superior outdrive for the wealth and fashion of New York, and connect these 
two great points of interest, Central Park and the picturesque Great Notch. 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 37 

Indeed, it is safe to say of this and of Mr. C. N. Bovee's 
large neighboring homestead properties, that the views from 
them are among the most magnificent to be found within an 
equal distance (14 miles) of New York city. To the 
north is Paterson, to the west Boonton and the Fairfield 
Valley, below are Little Falls and Singack, with the Verona 
Valley stretching away to the southward ; while if the eye 
wanders away to the northwest, it discerns the spire of the 
Pompton Plains church, and finally rests upon the hazy blue 
outlines of Long Pond Mountain, near the northern confines 
of the State. And if the visitor ascend the mountain to the 
east, a walk of ten minutes brings him to a glorious view of 
Montclair, Bloomfield, Newark, Manhattan, and the rounded 
hill tops of Staten Island in the distance. The healthfulness 
of this vicinity is unsurpassed ; springs of the purest, coolest 
water abound ; the soil is fertile, and in some places indi- 
cates the presence of rich veins of iron ore beneath, awaiting 
development ; the drives are unusually fine, Paterson and 
Montclair being each only four miles distant, and new 
avenues, affording convenient access to the adjacent depots, 
are opened or being opened through the property. 

To purchasers in large tracts Mr. Francisco will sell at 
$500 per acre, and his offer is well worthy of attentive con- 
sideration. 

We next cross the Peckman River by a high bridge, catch 
a view of Cedar Grove, and in a few moments more, are 
at the village of 

LITTLE FALLS, 

(18 miles ; i hour and 3 minutes. 6 trains each way daily.) 

Situated on the Passaic River, and deriving its name from 
the rapids which here descend fifty-one feet in half a mile, 



38 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 

and are to some extent utilized for manufacturing purposes. 
The Morris Canal here crosses the Passaic by a beautiful 
stone aqueduct of 80 feet span, The City of Paterson is 
only four miles to the north, and even at this distance the 
river, winding between overhanging bluffs, high enough to 
contain a river of twenty times its depth, gives in the forma- 
tion of its banks, here and there rising in perpendicular faces 
of rock crowned with cedars, indications of its approach to 
the great chasm into which ere long it is to leap, at the 
famous Passaic Falls. . 

For Little Falls, the coming of the Montclair Railway, 
which passes through its center, is an incalculable benefit, 
inasmuch as a ride of a mile has hitherto been necessary to 
reach the nearest railway station. As a consequence, there 
are expectations, and just ones, of a large increase in the 
number of residents, permanent and transient, from the Me- 
tropolis. It is to be regretted, however, that much of the 
property available for residences is held by parties who are 
not desirous of selling it, a fact which may to a considerable 
extent retard what would otherwise prove a rapid and profit- 
able development. 

There are here two churches (Methodist and Dutch Re- 
formed), a Public School, a Carpet Factory, two Hotels and 
several stores. Stages run twice a day to Paterson, and 
there are three mails to and from the rest of the world. 
During the coming summer horse cars will probably be run- 
ning from Paterson to Little Falls, making the entire distance 
in about one hour.* 

A mile beyond Little Falls, we come to old fashioned 

* See adrertisement of Allen & Dunning published elsewhere 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 



39 




PASSAIC FALLS. 



40 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR, 

SINGACK, 

(19 miles; 1 hour and6 min. 4 trains each way daily.) 

an antiquated relic of the days when High Dutch and Indian 
together formed the only jargon spoken in this part of New 
Jersey. The Singack Creek passes through the village, 
which is scattered over an area of a square mile or so, and 
in the vicinity are some of the most extensive brick yards in 
the State. 

Beyond the Singack Depot, we again cross the Morris 
Canal, and reach the intersecting point of the Delaware,. 
Lackawanna and Western Railroad, at 

MOUNTAIN VIEW, (formerly mead's basin), 

(si milss ; 1 hour, 16 min. 4 trains each way daily.) 

Here we are well up in the world, or topographically so at 
all events, but there is, it must be confessed, but little in the 
surroundings to woo one hither in search of a residence. The 
village itself, (it retains its name of Mead's Basin), is a small 
and unpretentious one, situated hard by, and can claim no 
especial attention unless it be on account of its wonderful 
resemblance to a dozen other sleepy canal villages to be 
found within as many miles on either side. 

And now, for the second time in our journey, we cross 
the Passaic River, and at a point not far from its confluence 
with the Pompton River, which, in turn, is formed a few 
miles above by the united waters of the Pequannock, the 
Wanaque and the Ramapo, issuing from as many valleys,, 
which, fan like, open off from the upper end of Pompton 
Plains, which we are now approaching. And here we stop 
at the little station of 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 4I 

PEQUANNOCK, 

(23 miles ; i hour and 20 minutes ; 6 trains each way daily.) 

Deriving its name from the township, and boasting a store, 
school and post office, and a considerable population living 
within a distance of a mile or more about the depot. 

And now, looking from the car window, on both sides, we 
see a wide stretch of level and well cultivated farm land, 
bounded in each direction by gently sloping"; mountains. No 
longer do we look down through long ,vistas] of mountain 
gorges, or hear the clatter of our wheels reverberated back 
from rocky precipitous walls — here the prospect is open, 
peaceful, fair ; we see a landscape dotted with farm houses 
of the more substantial kind, well watered by running 
streams, and evidently in a high state of cultivation ; here and 
there a church spire rises, or a curl of blue smoke from a tall 
chimney, showing where men's hands and brains are at work. 
Yes, this is 

POMPTON PLAINS, 

(25 miles ; i hour and 24 minutes. 6 trains each way daily,) 

A locality famous for its fertility and prosperity even since 
the earlier days of New Jersey's settlement. Here upon our 
left we see the Pompton Plains Church, the congregation of 
which was first organized in 1736. Within its congregation! 
limits were then included what are now the congregations of 
six churches. At the commencement of the Revolutionary 
War a Hberty pole was put up on the ground near the par- 
sonoge, which the Tories cut down several times. At length 
the people put up one and defended it with bars of iron, at- 
taching it to a sign board, with these significant words, 



42 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 

•'" Liberty, Property, No Popery."* The traveler will observe 
that a liberty pole stands near the church to this day, proba- 
bly as a land-mark which the people are averse to removing. 

Purchasers of property about Pompton Plains depot will 
find it a pleasant neighborhood, with many agreeable and 
cultivated families residing there. There are also store and a 
hotel, while up and down the valley the roads are good and 
the drives attractive. 

Pompton, which covers an area of six miles or more, has, 
it may be said, three centers of population : the first of these, 
Pompton Plains, we have just visited ; the second one we 
reach, and probably the most densely populated, is known as 
the Pompton Steel Works, and to reach this we alight at the 
next station, 

RIVERDALE, 

(26 miles ; i hour, 28 minutes. 6 trains each way daily.) 

Situated about in the center of the Plains, and surrounded by 
charming meadow lands, rising here and there into attractive 
elevations for building sites. But, as is previously intimated, 
Riverdale is chiefly important as the point at which passen- 
gers alight for the quite populous village lying half a mile to 
the south, under the shadow of Colfax Mountain, and within 
sound of the unceasing roar of the Pung-tong Falls of the 
Ramapo, which, here emerging from the seclusion of Arrareek 
Lake, through which it finds its way, hurries forward down 
the valley to join its sister streams on their march to the sea. 
In addition to the steel works, which employ a large force 
of workmen, there are here an Episcopal church, a good ho- 
tel, a post-office, several stores, and a very handsome iron 

* Memorial Sermon of Rer. J. V. N. Schenk, Nov. 22, 1871. 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 43 

bridge, spanning the Ramapo. Hard by is the ancient resi- 
dence of the Colfax family, which in revolutionary days, 
furnished the country a gallant commander for General 
Washington's body-guard, and in modern times a Vice-Pres- 
ident. In the little square enclosure, adjoining the family 
mansion, can be seen the simple shaft which marks the last 
resting place of the former. 

From Riverdale diverges on our left; a track by which 
through trains can run direct to Bloomingdale, and thence 
on over the main line, instead of going around by way of 
Pompton Junction. 

The third center of population is known as Pompton 
Church, and to reach this we must aUght at the station known 
as 

POMPTON, 

(27 miles ; i hour, 30 minutes. 6 trains each way daily.) 

where our road crosses the Bloomingdale turnpike, on which 
a short distance to the right stands the church referred to, 
together with a few dwellings and an hotel. But, we scarcely 
stop here, for a few hundred feet ahead of us is the double 
bridge spanning the noisy Pequannock, and on its further 
side is 

POMPTON JUNCTION, 

(27X miles ; i hour, 32 minutes. 6 trains.each way daily.) 

where we cross the Une of the New Jersey Midland, and en- 
ter the portals of the picturesque Wanaque Valley. To the 
right stands Ramapo Mountain ; to the left, Federal Rock, 
twin pillars, guarding the entrance to a region so compara- 
tively unknown, and yet so wildly beautiful. 

Here at the Junction there appears to be prospect of con- 



44 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 

siderable development. A hotel to accommodate fifty 
guests is being built, one or two streets have been cut and 
graded, and several small dwellings put up, and the Com- 
pany propose to erect, at the intersecting point of their two 
lines, a handsome depot for their joint use. 

And we now are hastening up the Wanaque, (sometimes 
erroneously written Wynockie) Valley, the same wild region 
which one reaches by taking the Sterling Railway, from Ster- 
ling Junction on the Erie Railway. Passing up this valley^ 
which seems to grow narrow as we advance, we see here and 
there old stone houses marking the homes of the descendants 
of those pioneers who first dared penetrate and establish their 
homes in this secluded spot ; and presently we cross the 
Wanaque River, and stop at the village of 

WANAQUE, 

(31 miles ; i hour, 42 min. 4 trains each way daily.) 

a small scattered settlement lying principally on the west, or 
left hand side of the track, and boasting a Methodist church, 
a store or two, and a public school. About two miles west 
of the village, on High Point Mountain, are the Wanaque 
mines. There is also a small mine about half a mile north- 
east of the station. 

A little, perhaps not over three quarters of a mile, further 
up the valley, we reach 

MIDVALE, 

(31^ miles ; 1 hour, 52 min. 4 trains each way daily ) 

a Station better known to the residents of the country for 
twenty miles around as ** Coon Tice's." Ask a man in the 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 45 

Wanaque Valley, the way to Midvale, and ten to one he'll tell 
you there's no such place ; but there's not a. man, woman or 
child from Ringwood Furnace down to Pompton Plains, but 
can point straight to Coon Tice's, no matter what hills and 
brakes intervene. 

Coon Tice, Esq., has kept a tavern here since a week or 
two after the date on which Columbus discovered America ; 
and no ordinary tavern either, but a good old time hostelry, 
where genuine cheer for man and beast can be found winter 
and summer. Does a sleighing party start out from Mont- 
clair on a moonlight night in winter ? To Coon Tice's they 
go. Do the Paterson City Fathers determine upon an offi- 
cial spree ? Roast Pig at Coon Tice's. In fine, of all land- 
lords in all Jersey, none more enticing than Tice. 

Well, here is his place. Look out the window here on 
the left. A number of barns and stables, and behind 
them the house, a rather more pretentious frame building 
than most we have thus far seen in the valley. There is 
an air of cultivation visible, too, in the presence of a bird- 
house or two, and neat fences. In fine, without affectation 
or ceremony, the people at Coon Tice's always make the 
visitor comfortable, and send him away with a joyful coun- 
tenance and an appetite knocked to splinters. 

GO AND SEE COON. 

Half a mile beyond his haven of rest is another one of 
another kind, the Midvale Methodist Church, a modest edi- 
fice, standing within a few feet of the track. If it were Sun- 
day, we should, doubtless, in passing, see horses and wagons 
tied up at all the trees and fences near by, with groups of 
half-grown youths lounging about the front steps ; or, per- 



46 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 

haps, it might be our good fortune to catch a faint wafting 
of the quaint harmonies of the choir, or the sound of the 
exhorter within. 

But next we cross Stony Road, a highway well named if 
ever one was, and come afterward in full view (on the left 
hand side) of Furnace Pond, formed by the widening of 
Wanaque River at this point. In olden times, a furnace in. 
operation at the lower end of this pond gave it the name it 
still retains. 

And now the mountains on our left rise in successive 
knolls or points to a surprising height, giving a new gran- 
deur to the scenery. Winbeam and Bear Mountain in tura 
rear their wild crests, while beyond them are Green Hill and 
Tory House Hill, the latter named, presumably, from some 
interesting revolutionary incident. While we are admiring 
the vastness of these long declivities, a glance to the right 
suddenly discloses the valley opening off on that side into a 
wide and comparatively level tract, through which flows the 
Ringwood River to join the Wanaque. And now, here we 
are at 

RINGWOOD, OR BOARDVILLE, 
(35 miles, 2 hours; 4 trains each way daily.) 

The last name to this immediate vicinity is the most ap- 
propriate, for hereabout are the possessions of the Mr. 
Board, in whose honor it was bestowed. But here, too, 
diverges the branch road to Ringwood, a little mining village 
of 500 inhabitants, three miles distant, situated within half a 
mile of the State Line, and known by many as the place of 
residence of Messrs. Abram S. Hewitt and Edward Cooper, 
the proprietors of the mines, and whose dwellings, though lo- 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 47- 

cated here in this comparatively remote spot, are marvels of 
elegance and completeness. 

The Ringwood Branch transports large quantities of coal 
to and ore from the Ringwood Works, the only outlet of 
which hitherto has been the Sterling Railway, which, ope- 
rating in connection with the Erie, has furnished but one 
train per day. 

Leaving Boardville, our course turns off to the north-west, 
and we skirt the mountain side, looking down upon some 
charming sylvan scenes. Yonder, in the valley, embowered 
in foliage, can be seen a comfortable residence of the olden 
time, part of it stone, and constructed a hundred years ago. 
Think of the manhood and adventure it required to come 
and build a home over a century ago in this wild region to 
which the railroad has only now brought its welcome clatter. 
Yet those walls are suggestive of comfort and good cheer, 
and are occupied by Messrs. Schermerhorn of New York, 
who have purchased a large and valuable tract just above, 
with the intention of developing at once its wealth in lumber 
and minerals, and of utiHzing for manufacturing purposes the 
fine water power furnished by the Wanaque ; just above we 
shall see where they have already constructed a dam and 
erected a mill, and where, too, on yonder mountain, whole 
acres have been clean shaven of timber by the axes of their 
sturdy workmen. And, look, here we are at 

MONK'S, 

(38 miles ; 2 hours, 10 min. 4 trams each way daily.) 

deriving its name from the occupant of the neighboring farm 
houses. Here a much traversed county road crosses th& 



48 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 

track, thus affording easy railway communication for the 
population of the adjacent country. For a while this was 
the terminus of the road; but the completion of the heavy 
rock cutting just beyond opens the way now to 

RINGWOOD FURNACE, 

(41 miles ; 2 hours 15 min. 4 trains each way daily.) 

Where there is also quite a mining village and a post office, 
and whence stages connect for 

GREENWOOD LAKE, 

(43 miles ; 2 hours 30 min. 4 trains each way daily.) 

Have you, reader, ever been to Greenwood Lake ? Every 
year the number of pilgrims to this sylvan Mecca has been in- 
creasing ; have you helped to swell the throng ? For a long 
time passengers had to reach it at the expense of a three 
hours' ride on the Erie cars to Monroe, and thence stage it 
over the mountains for nine or ten miles. But they came, 
even in spite of that. Then last year the Midland carried 
them to Newfoundland, and so saved them about an hour's 
staging. With those faciHties, the crowd of visitors to the 
Lake increased perceptibly. But what will be the rush this 
summer, with the Montclair Railway cars running direct 
to the Lake itself, and transporting sweltering passengers 
from New York and Newark, in a comparatively short ride, 
to this most delightful of mountain lakes ? For, weary of 
the threadbare joys of Long Branch, Lake Mahopac and Fire 
Island, the wealth and fashion of New York will eagerly 
pounce upon this last and most beauteous pearl in the coro- 
net of adjacent summer resorts. 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 49 

But here in the mountain soUtudes, the arriving traveler 
will find amid the most romantic and varied surroundings, 
all the comforts and appliances of civilized life. For years 
past, knowing tourists have made Greenwood Lake an indis- 
pensable part of their summer trip ; but how few there are 
comparatively who have really known what a charming 
place it is, this cool, quiet lake, sparkling like a jewel in the 
emerald setting of the mountain top. How few, on reaching 
its wooded marge, will be prepared to find in waiting a lively 
little steamboat, (brought up in pieces all the way from New 
York), with steam up and all ready to convey them to their 
destination. There are accommodations for hundreds of 
guests, good pure water, bracing air, glorious scenery, fine 
drives, boating, bathing, fishing and flirting, and all these too 
within daily business distance of New York. To such a. 
terminus as this, then, does our newly completed railway bring 
the traveler, carrying him over no hum-drum, common-place 
section of country, but through a scenery as varied and 
beautiful as any in the world ; past cities, over rivers, through 
mountain gorges, across smiling, peaceful landscapes, and, 
finally, landing him here on the mountain top at the verge of 
a lake as beautiful as Como or Maggiore. And hard indeed 
to be pleased must he be, who, desiring a home in the rural 
regions whither daily he may fly from the dust and turmoil of 
city business life, cannot somewhere or another in this 
panorama choose a spot where, 

" Full in the center of some shady grove, 

By nature formed for solitude and love. 

On banks arrayed with ever blooming flowers, 

Near beauteous landscapes, or by roseate bowers," 

for the remainder of his days he may dwell under his own 
vine and fig tree, and with Mr. and Mrs. Scruggs, bless the 
day that he set out to look for a " home on the montci..air." 



50 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 



^APPENDIX A. 

From the New York Times^ December 30, 1872. 

It was in the month of May when those old emigrants from 
Connecticut pitched their tents on the site of the present large and 
thriving city of Newark. Had they arrived later in the year 
they would probably have chosen some favored spot for their fu- 
ture home which was not quite in so close proximity to the 
marshes and their annual Autumn pestilence in the shape of 
mosquitoes. But in spite of marshes and mosquitoes, Newark has 
grown, as the old ladies say, beyond all knowledge, and with a 
rapidity, of late years which throws the growth of New York and 
Brooklyn into the cold shade. In twelve years the population of 
the city has more than doubled, (in 1858 it was estimai'ed at {50,000, 
at the beginning of this j'^ear it was estimated at 125,000,) factories 
and mills of all descriptions have sprung up, others are in course 
of erection, banks and wholesale trade are coming to the front, 
and Newark dives its hands deep down into its well-filled pockets, 
and looks complacently around with an air of satisfaction and 
honest pride. 

Capt. Robert Treat, of Milford, and Parson Abram Pierson, of 
Branford, the first with a following of forty-one, the second with 
a company of twenty-three persons, took possession of their new 
settlement in 1666, having bought it of the Indians for the stereo- 
typed collection of guns, blankets, knives, liquor, &c. Fifteen 
years afterward Newark had a population of 500 souls, and owned 
10,000 acres of town lands and 40,000 acres of outlying plantations. 
In 1713 it was made a township by Queen Anne, but still its early 
growth was very slow and tedious, and in 1810 the population was 
less than £,000. The Sentinel of Freedom, the oldest newspaper in 
the State of New-Jersey, its first number having been issued 5th 
October, 1796, gives the following census returns for 1810, in its 
number for 19th March, 1811: 

Number of inhabitants in 1810 in the town plot of Newark, 4,388 
Number of dwelling houses, ------ 668 

Number of stores, barns, stables, &c, . - - - 644 

In those days the principal business of Newark and the other 
towns of Essex County was the maaufacture of cloths, stuffs and 
general woolen goods, boots, shoes, and slippers, distilling and 
carriage building. The value of the aggregate product of the 
country was only $1,210,471. To-day the manufacturing business 
of Newark alone is not less than $90,000,000 a year. The Board 



HOMES ON THE MoNTCLAIR. 5 1 

of Trade returns for 1871 give tlic number of manufacturing 
CBtablishments at 1,015, the capitil invested, $;U,4()7,(;70; the 
number of hands employed, 29,147; the amount of wages paid, 
$14,7G7,257, and the value of the products $72,H70,0;5(;. 

With regard to the convenience of Newark as a place of resi- 
dence for men doing business in New York, nice plots of land, 25 
by 100, in desirable localities, for the erection of a house, can be 
bought for $2,000 to $2,500. Six to twelve-roomed houses, with 
every convenience and all the modern improvements, can be rented 
in the best parts of the city at from $500 to $800 a year. 

« « 4: « >K « « 

The present area of the city of Newark is about 17 j square miles 
— 11,200 acres, and the population is estimated at 125,000, of whom 
nearly 40,000, chietly Germans and Irish, are foreigners. The 
valuation of real estate in the city, as assessed for 1871, is $(')2, 
208,535, and <. f personal property, $21,717,800; together, $80, 
980,341. The amount raised by taxation during the year was 
$1,390,020 ; and Newark can point with pride to the fact that this 
sum is only an increase of $3,900 over the taxation of 1870. ^-'ome 
of the local politicians must either be blind to opportunities, or else 
there can be no opportunities on which to seize. Here is a splen- 
did opening for some coming Tweed ! 

Newark now boasts nine banks ; though many of the business 
men here, having branch houses in New York, have also a banking 
account there. There are five savings banks, the oldest of which, 
the Newark Savings Institution, incorporated in 1847, has 
$12,022,844.50 deposits. The aggregate deposits of all the savings 
banks amount to $18,084,008.41. There are sixteen local life and 
fire insurance companies, with an asfgregate capital of $3,723,817, 
and the I^tutual Life Office of New York has a Newark branch. 

m ***** * 

As for the means of education the city seems comparatively rich. 
There are twonty-two public school houses, nine of which are 
each capable of accommodating from eight hundred to one thous- 
and pupils, and have both primliiy and grammar departments ; the 
other buildings are smaller and confined to one department. J^ut, 
in addition, there are five evening schools, a Normal school, and a 
High school, under the charge of a principal and ten assistants, 
where the rising generation is prepared for commercial life or for 
college. 

Foremost among; the public institutions of interest in Newark is 
the New Jersey Historical Society. The settlement of New Jersey 
is coeval with the earliest history of this country, and it is there- 
fore not surprising that the citizens of ko conservative a State 
should have organized an institution the duty of whose officers it 



52 HOMES ON THE MONTCLATR. 

is "to discover, procure, and preserve, whatever relates to any de- 
partment of the history of New Jersey, natural, civil, literary, or 
ecclesiastical, and generally of other portions of the United States. " 
Besides being a depository for numerous curious and interesting 
relics of the past, many intimately connected with the romance 
of history, the Society's rooms contain the nucleus of a most valu- 
able historical library. The collection already includes six thou- 
sand bound volumes, among which are twelve volumes of the mi- 
nutes of the Long Parliament, and the l^entinel of Freedom^ from 
its first issue, dated 5th October, 1796, down to the present day. 
The Sentinel of Freedom is the weekly edition of the Newark 
])aily Advertisey^ which is by far the leading paper here, an i which 
though forty years of age, appears to be in the heyday of its youth. 
The library also possesses ten thousand pamphlets, some of which 
are doubtless of little value, while others are equally valuable. 
There is loo, a small collection of manuscrii)ts, said to be of great 
value and rarity. This Historical Society, lilse those of New-York, 
Brooklyn. Boston, and other cities, is doing a work which men of 
cultured minds deeply regret was so neglected by their forefathers. 
They are collecting materials for some future Gibbon or Hallam, 
or even somj brilliant, but untrustworthy, MacAulay, on which the 
coming History of the United States may be founded. And New- 
ark boasts a Library Association, an incorporated stock institution, 
andtberfore smelling of thlrdnte works. But I am told that this 
is not so. Of course, I have had no time or opportunity to exam- 
ine the contents of the shelves. But there is the best part of some 
eightecM or twenty thousand volumes; and. setting aside all assu- 
rances of their high character of literary works, there must bo a 
goodly sprinkling of valuable literature somewhere on those sltelves 
wherewith young Newark can enlighten and develop its budding 
mind. At all events, there are all the daily and weekly journals, the 
monthly magazmes, and quarterly reviews; and there is "a little 
learning,' if it be of the cramming order, to be gathered from 
them — at least the history of the day. And then if some- 
thing austere is more congenial, there is the Young Men's Christian 
Associ.ition. with everything from prayer-meetings to lectures, and 
even entertainments in the Winter season. But if something more 
lively be desired, a distraction from the tiioughts and cares 
of the daily life, something lighter than books, and yet not so 
frivolous !is to be detrimental, tliere is the Newark Opera-House, 
which, thanks to the dramatic aspirations of Young America, and a 
constant in^ux of foreign mercenaries of the Thespian profession, 
is almost always tenanted by some star company of actors, or, if 
all other things fail, by a wandering troupe of minstrels. But 
there, again, the great railroad facilities of the city come in. If 
the Jiant ecole of young Newark think themselves above local 



HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 53 

performances they caa listea to Lucca's harmony in the New-York 
Academy of Music, cry over Miss Neilswn s Juliet, or huigh them- 
selves sore in tlie sides at Mr. Sothern's drollities. and yet catch 
the last train for home and sleep under the patrrual roof. What 
would they have more ? 



APPENDIX IJ. 

It was upon a cold, dark wintry night, near the close of the war, 
that a part}' of dauntless spirits, consistino; of Capt. John Kidney, 
Capt. Henry Jaroleman. Jacob Garlaw, and Halmach Jaroleman, 
left their faWlies and their firesides in search of adventure. A 
deep snow covered the Earth, and the howling wind gave admoni- 
tion to all to remain witliiu ; but our party were bent on having 
prisoners that night. Having provided themselves with a pair of 
fleet horses, attached to a common wood sled, they left the neigh- 
borhood of the above village (Bloomfield) and laid their course 
toward the heights of Bergen. They soon arrived in the vicinity of 
the garrison, and leaving their horses tied to the fence they went 
on to reconnoitre. They returned shortly aft^^r, having ascertained 
that a school-house, some distance from the posts, was filled with 
officers and soldiers, rioting and dancing. Their plan of taking 
prisoners being matured, the company started with Kidney at their 
head. Coming upon the house. Kidney commenced giving hit 
orders to his different divisions to surround the house, while he 
immediately forcing himself in at the door, took good care that 
his guard should show themselves and their bayonets at the thres- 
hold. Those within were struck with astonishment. "Every one 
of you are my prisoners," cried Kidney, " surrender, or you die." 
Having ordered them into line, he select( d first a British officer, 
then a refugee, passed them along to the door, where they were 
muffied and hurried away to the sled ; Kidney taking care to warn 
them that ''the first one who attempted to escape, was a dead 
man." When they reached the meadows they heard the alarm gun 
fire, but they were too far for pursuit. The prisoners were secured 
in the Morristown jail, and our heroes returned well pleased with 
the night's adventure, leaving their prisoners much chagrined at 
the way they were i-d,keii. — Rirbo>ir's Hist. Col'. N.T. 



56 HOMES ON THE MONTCLAIR. 

PARTIES DESIGNING TO ERECT 

Homes on the Montclair 

Should not fail to call on 

FDBlA.ISrOIS TOi!^K:iisrs, 

WOODSIDE, iNElVARK,\ N. J. 

MANUFACTUKER OK 

G-ROUND LIME AND CALCINED PLASTER. 

Also, Dealer in 

Masons' Building* Materials! 

FARMERS supplied with Lime and Plaster for agricultural purposes. 



Bloomfield Ave., Bloomfield, N. J. 

This Hotel has been enlarged and handsomely refitted. A first-class 
Restaurant connected with the Hotel. 

JOHN REAMSCH, Florist, 

GREEN HOUSES ADJOINING ARCHDEACON'S HOTEL, BLOOMFIELD, N.J. 
Where may be found at all times, and at reasonable prices, an assortment of 
NEW AND RARE PLANTS, 

Plants of special interest, plants for the flower garden, plants for rustic vases, 
baskets, etc. Cut flowers at all seasons, for all and every occasion. Bouquets. 
\vreaths, and all kinds of devices prepared to order, and on the shortest notice. 
Flower seeds, a superior variety, selected with great care. Annuals a specialty 
Also, for the vegetable gar 1 en, a fine stock of Tomato, Cabbage, Celery, 
Pepper, Egg and other plants. 



flB Sales o[ last to! 



NEW TRIUMPHS! 



The Statistics from sworn returns of the Sales of Sewing 
Machines in 1872 (reported in 1873), show that the 
Singer Manufacturing Company sold, last year, ov^r 
FORTY-FIVE THOUSAND more machines than ANY 
other Company, and over one quarter of all machines 
sold during that year. Nine out of ten of said Singer 
Machines were for FAMILY use — proving the great 
popularity of the Singer in the household. Annexed are 
the Sales of the different makers : 

Tlie Siiipr Maiinfactnriiig CoDipauy so'i 219,758 MacMiies. 

Wheeler & Wilson Manufacturing Company " 174,088 "" 

Howe Machine Company (esfcimatedj " li,"),(H){) " 

Grover & Baker Sewing Machine Company " n^.OlO " 

Domestic Sewing Machine Company *' +5),r)r)4 " 

Weed Sswing Machine Company " 41^,44-1: " 

Wilcox & Gibbs SsMdng Machine Company " 3;5,(;;i9 " 

Wilson Sawing Machine Company '* 22,('}()C) . " 

Amer. B. H. O. & Sewing Machine Company " 18,0:50 " 

Gold Medal Sawing Machine Company " 18,897 " 

Florence Sewing Machine Company ^' ir).7.'8 " 

B. P. Howe Sewing Machine Company " 14, "JOT " 

Victor Sewing Machine Company " 11,!)01 " 

Davis Sewing Machine Company " 11. 870 " 

Blees Sewing jNIachine Company " <),058 *' 

Remington Empire Sewing Machine Company '* 4,982 " 

J. E. Braunsdorff & Co. " 4,262 " 

Keystone Sswing Machine Company " 2,<W;,5 " 

Bartlett Reversible Sewing Machine Company" 1,000 " 

Bartram & Fanton Manufacturing Company " 1,000 " 

Secor Sewiuj Machine Company " ;U1 '* 




FOR SALE BY ALL PROMINENT DEALERS. 



Orange Lightning Powder, 

The best Powder made. Sizes, Nos. 1 to 7. Packed only in 
sealed one pound canisters. 

C^ Care must be taken to use no finer size than No. 5 in 
metal shells or fine breech-loading guns, as it is too quick for 
the strength of either. 

Orange Ducking Poivder. 

Expressly prepared for shooting water-fowl. Very strong and 
clean. Sizes, Nos. 1 to />. Packed in metal ("gold band") 
kegs of 6:1^ lbs., and canisters of 5 lbs. and 1 lb. 

Aadahon Powder, 

Very quick, for woodcock and other shooting from muzzle- 
loading guns. Sizes, Nos. 1 to 4. Packed in metal kegs of 
12^ and 6j lbs., and canisters of 1 lb. 

Orange Rifle Poivder, 

The best for rijles^ and good for all ordinary purposes. Sizes, 
FG, FFG, and FFFG. Packed in wood and metal kegs of 
25, 12^, and 65^ lbs., and canisters of 1 lb. and ^ lb. 



The above are the principal brands only, and will 
be found to give high velocity with less residuum 
than other Powders. 

LiVFLIN & RAND POWDER CO. 

21 PABK ROW, NEW YORK. 



Mining and Blasting Powders of aN kinds. Dualin. 

Safety Fuse. Electric Blasting Apparatus. 

Steam Rock Drills, &c. 



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